The year 2005 has been quite uneventful after the December 26 Tsunami disaster. Being 250 kilo meters away from the coast, we shuttled several times before deciding what to do and where to begin relief work. I went to coastal Andhra Pradesh to assess the damage, talked to officials, and consulted with NGOs who already reached there. We gathered stories of the survivors, took some pictures of the damages caused to human beings and their properties. We prayed much about the needs. Being locals without financial resources, we tried to mobilize funds and man power.

The Matilda school children and staff answered many of our unspoken questions. They came up with 10,000 rupees collected from their meager resources.

I took a team of 6 persons from our area including four pastors. We contacted the people on the beach who suffered the most. People were dumb struck at the impact of loss caused by Tsunami. We understood that they had many needs that we cannot meet but understood that their past yet had to reconcile with reality.

They were a lost people, lost to everything what they once called their own.

They held on to reflections that were hung in empty space like their own hopes for a better future. Especially the needs of the children to be addressed.

We began to take a local survey with three tribal young volunteers. They sent back periodic reports that we need to get involved in three areas of relief work.

1. Provide fishing nets to the beach people

2. Repair damaged boats

3. Distribute clothing, school kits and steel plates and glasses.

In the following months organizations and churches and individuals mentioned below partnered with us in the relief work:

1. The Mennonite Central Committee-India graciously provided fishing nets and school kits, and plates and glasses and offered further to help repair boats that were repairable. They also offered technical guidance in management.

2. The Taipei International (TIC) in Taiwan helped with building a church that was washed out in the floods.

3. The Mennonite Church Net work of USA offered to rebuild 3 churches.

4. Friends through Canadian sources( Larry Kehler) Reba Place Church offered funds to repair three churches that were badly in need of repair.

5. The Schmidt Family foundation of Canada purchased sewing machines and other equipment and provided thousands of yards of dress material to stitch, thus creating employment for 20 women.